A typical second interview question is “What do you know about our company”? How you do your research for an interview is crucial in executing a well orchestrated answer to this question. The manager needs to see that you cared enough to research the company and that you are smart enough to understand your research. You will either be interviewing for a public company that is traded on the stock exchange or a private company. Let’s take a look at both. Public company- The most valuable document in interview prep is a public company’s 10-K or annual report. There is a wealth of information here and while the document is lengthy it is time well spent.

Read the forward looking statements. This will give you a great idea about where the company is focusing their efforts and what they are trying to achieve, know their direction.

Look at their cash flows and understand where their money is coming from and what metrics they track. You can tell a lot about how the sales managers are metriced based on the financials. Do they highlight new business, renewal rates or year over year revenue growth? Which business segments are growing quickly and why? Knowing these numbers and asking questions about them will show that you have business acumen and will quickly elevate you to the top of the candidate pool.

Private companies- private companies are just that… Private. It can be hard to dig up information on their strategy and actual numbers. People that work for these companies understand that they don’t share a lot and their expectations will be lower Both- there are go to information resources that you will want to consult whether you are talking to a private or public company

Manager information- Look at the hiring manager’s LinkedIn. What companies did he work at prior? What affiliations does he have listed?

There is too much to list here. Check out my blog for a list of interview questions and how to answer them- www.entrylevelsalesjob.com